Huts

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About the Book: 

Victorian visitors had shooting lodges – Scots had trips doon the watter.

Norwegian citizens had hytte – Scots had Butlins.

Why have the inhabitants of one of Europe’s prime tourist destinations been elbowed off the land and exiled from nature for so long?

Lesley Riddoch relives her own bothy experience, rediscovers lost hutting communities, travels through hytte-covered Norway and suggests that thousands of humble woodland huts would give Scots a vital post-covid connection with nature and affordable, low-impact holidays in their own beautiful land – at last.

Reviews: 

…a clarion call for a revolution in the way that we understand home, leisure and our relationship with the natural world. The Guardian

Lesley Riddoch uses her new book to explain why our country is perfect to find a bolt hole away from the stresses and strains of modern city life. The Times

A fascinating tale of why Scotland’s history of recreational hut culture is so far from the European norm. Lesley brings a blend of academic rigour, journalistic flair and entertaining story-telling to this neglected topic and makes a compelling case for a renaissance of the Scottish hut. Andy Wightman, author of The Poor Had No Lawyers

About the Author:

LESLEY RIDDOCH is an award-winning broadcaster, writer, journalist, independence campaigner and land reform activist. She writes weekly columns for The National and is a contributor to The Guardian, BBC Question Time, Scotland Tonight and Any Questions. She is founder and Director of Nordic Horizons, a policy group that brings Nordic experts to the Scottish Parliament and produces a popular weekly podcast. Lesley has presented You and Yours on BBC Radio 4, The Midnight Hour on BBC2 and The People’s Parliament and Powerhouse on Channel 4. She founded the Scottish feminist magazine Harpies and Quines, won two Sony awards for her daily Radio Scotland show and edited The Scotswoman – a 1995 edition of The Scotsman written by its female staff. She was a trustee of the Isle of Eigg Trust that pioneered the successful community buyout in 1997. She has presented and co-produced films about the Faroes, Iceland and Norway and during lockdown, presented Declaration, a film celebrating the 700th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath. Lesley was awarded a PHD in July 2020 and lives near the sea in north Fife.